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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: mark · kick · rock · content · lean · jam · racket · bark

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. lean — thin
  3. rock — music
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. content — happy
  6. bark — to shout
  7. kick — in football
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. mark — a grade
  11. rock — a stone
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. content — the amount
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. mark — a trace
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. lean — to bend
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. content — videos and posts

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com